IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF ED PARTNERS WITH DISCOVERY EDUCATION TO PROVIDE DIGITAL CONTENT TO IDAHO SCHOOLS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Melissa McGrath
(208) 332-6818
mrmcgrath@sde.idaho.gov

Christina Scripps, Discovery Education
240-662-6502
christina_scripps@discovery.com

BOISE – The Idaho State Department of Education today announced it has signed an agreement with Discovery Education to provide digital content to classrooms across Idaho for the next five years, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna announced.

“This partnership is part of our continued efforts to transform every classroom into a 21st Century Classroom that will give every teacher in every school and every student in every classroom equal access to the best educational opportunities,” Superintendent Luna said. “This will bring a world of information and opportunities right to their fingertips, and I am excited about the possibilities.`

The agreement with Discovery Education, the leading provider of standards-based digital resources for the classroom, is funded with a grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation in the first two years. In 2011, the Albertson Foundation provided a $21 million grant to the State Department of Education to help create the 21st century classroom in every Idaho school. Through this grant funding, the state has implemented a statewide instructional management system in every Idaho classroom, giving classroom teachers instant access to current, accurate data and tools to develop lesson plans, share best practices, and assess and analyze student progress throughout the school year. Now, teachers will also have ready access to Discovery Education streaming Plus.

Discovery Education streaming Plus captures the minds and imaginations of students by tapping into their natural curiosity and desire to learn. Through the service, teachers and students will have access to a library of more than 200,000 dynamic and engaging resources that cover all curriculum areas and meet Common Core State Standards. Already available in more than half of U.S. schools, Discovery Education’s services support educators nationwide as they transition to using dynamic digital media as their core instructional resource.

“Discovery Education is excited to partner with the Idaho State Department of Education to bring its classrooms alive with the magic of Discovery by delivering innovative digital resources for their teachers and students,” said Eric Phillips, chief operating officer, Discovery Education. “This partnership further proves Idaho’s commitment to meeting students in the digital world where they live and providing them with quality learning resources that engage students, support teachers, and positively impact student achievement.”

Educational stakeholders from across Idaho, including teachers, principals and superintendents, selected Discovery Education after a rigorous review process.

“Joint School District No. 2 is very excited about this opportunity to provide a broad range of high-quality digital content to support the efforts of our classroom teachers as they engage all students in a dynamic, robust learning environment,” said Dr. Linda Clark, superintendent of Joint School District No. 2 in Meridian. “We are grateful to the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation for the generous grant to provide this digital content and the instructional management system that provides current, accurate data and lesson planning tools in every classroom.”

Beginning July 1, 2012, schools across Idaho will have the opportunity to sign up to access digital content through Discovery Education streaming Plus for all of their classrooms.

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